Mail-pouch-suspending hook



R. E. LEE. MAIL POUCH SUSPENDING HOOK. APPLICAIIONJ-ILED MAR-.21, 1921.

Patented D00. 13, 1921.

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UNITED STATES ROBERT E. LEE, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

MAIL-POUCH-SUSPENDING HOOK.

Application filed March 21, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

fie it known that I, ROBERT E. LEE, a cltizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Pouch-Suspending Hooks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements 7 in mail pouch suspending hooks.

In sorting mail the pouches are suspended on frames by means of hooks and considerable difliculty is experienced in keeping the pouches from falling off of the hooks and held in convenient position to receive the mail which is tossed or.thrown into the open sacks by the mail assorter.

The object of my invention is to provide a suspending hook which may be engaged in the eyelet of the mail pouch and the latter fastened on the hook so that it cannot become disengaged therefrom until released by the person handling the pouch. A particular object is to make a device which will be easy to operate in an expeditious manner and which will be simple and yet of substantial construction.

In carrying out the invention a hook is provided with an eye so that it may be fastened on the hanger and has at its lower end a pivoted keeper or latch adapted to be swung into line with the hook so as to permit the latter to be readily passed through the eye and then swung to a transverse position so as to prevent disengagement of the pouch from the hook.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which an example of the invention is shown and wherein: I

Figure 1 is a view showing a portion of a mail pouch rack or hanger and the hook constructed in accordance with my invention supporting the mail pouch, which lat ter is shown in section,

Fig. 2 is a detail of the latch construction showing the latch in position in dotted line,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921..

Serial No. 454,282.

Fig. 4; is a cross sectional detail on the line 4t4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional detail of the latch and a portion of the hook.

In the drawings the numeral 10 designates a hook formed with an eye or loop 11 at its upper end which is adapted to be fastened around the rail 12 of the mail rack. The hook at its lower end has a laterally directed shank 13 which is preferably given a slight taper at its outer end.

On the tapered end of the shank a latch or keeper 14 is pivoted. The latch is curved in cross section so as to somewhat conform to the contour of the shank. The latch 14 has depending ears 15 on each side which are pivoted on a pin 16 passing through the end of the shank. The shank is tapered or reduced toward its outer end which is also slightly rounded as is best shown in Fig. 8, so as to present a pointed structure. The shank telescopes into the latch suficiently that the inner end of the latch will bind on top of the shank when said latch is swung to a horizontal position, thus limiting the upward movement of said latch. The inner end of the latch is slotted to form a pair of keeper fingers 17 which lie on each side of the shank when the latch is swung to a horizontal position.

In using the hook the latch is swung to a horizontal position as is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, so that it is readily passed through the eye A of the mail pouch B. After the shank 13 is received in the eye A, the latch 14 is swung downwardly whereby the fingers 17 project above the shank and the pouch is retained on the hook. It will be seen that the pouch cannot he accidentally displaced and will be supported under all conditions.

To remove the pouch it is merely necessary to swing the latch to a horizontal position and withdraw the shank and latch from the eye. It is pointed out that by giving the latch a pointed shape it will readily enter the eye and will as easily withdraw therefrom. In removing the pouch from the hook after the fingers 17 have passed through the eye, pressure on the lower portion of the latch will tend to throw the hook from the eye as will be obvious, said latch becoming a lever.

What I claim, is:

1. In a mail suspending hook, a hook body having an eye at one end and a laterally extending shank at the other end, and a latch curved transversely and having a pair of cars intermediate its end by which it is pivoted to the end of the shank, said latch having its outer end pointed and provided with: fingers at its inner end straddllng the shank when the latch is swung to a horizontal position.

2. In a mail pouch suspending hook,

v hook body having a suspending element at one end and a laterally extending shank at o the other end, said shank having a reduced end portion, a latch approximately U-shaped V beyond the pivot and adapted to' contact with the sides of the reduced end portion, said latch and fingers terminating approximately flush with the shank,

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ROBERT E LEE. 

